Third Tuesday
by Spanky743
Summary: Takes place in that all-too-short period of time between Sara's rescue and first departure. My GeekFiction Food Fight Ficathon entry.


**Title:** Third Tuesday  
**Author:** Spanky743  
**Rating:** K  
**Pairing:** GSR  
**Spoilers:** Takes place in that all-too-short period of time between Sara's rescue and (first) departure.  
**Prompt:** Sushi (with golden caviar and smoked salmon), Pomegranate, and a Clove of Garlic. 2 out of 3 ain't bad.  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own CSI and blah blah blah.  
**A/N**: Written for the GeekFiction Food Fight Ficathon. Because I'm a procrastinator, this has had no beta. Any and all mistakes are mine; don't kill Liz00.

**Ocober 2007**  
**  
**"When did the pomegranate become so popular, anyway? It seems I can't go anywhere without seeing something pomegranate-based. Even shampoo."

"The health benefits of the pomegranate have been known for quite some time, but I think it's our culture's recent obsession with antioxidants that has brought the fruit into the limelight," Grissom replied as he took the cup from her hand and took a long draw.

"That, and the fact that Oprah's always talking about it," Sara added, reclaiming her Starbucks Pomegranate Frappuccino. "So, professor, what exactly are the health benefits I'm getting?"

"Well, I already mentioned the antioxidants; it has even more than cranberries. As far as other benefits, there was a recent study released by UCLA which found that..."

Nick Stokes smiled, shook his head, and continued on to take some more statements. It was best to leave the couple alone to enjoy what was left of their Third Tuesday.

--

**June 2007**

"Come in," Conrad Ecklie said to his closed office door. He was not surprised see Sara Sidle on the other side - they had scheduled this follow-up to the administrative inquiry, after all - but what shocked him was seeing Gil Grissom following behind her. Grissom had a hand on her uninjured shoulder and guided her to sit on the couch before joining her. Ecklie stole a quick glance at the hand resting reassuringly on Sara's knee before taking a seat in the same chair he had used just the day before.

"So, I take it you got your stories straight?"

Grissom shook his head, "We're not here to define intimacy. You and the sherriff have asked one of us to change shifts-"

"And I want to do it," Sara finished.

Ecklie gave a slow nod, trying not to let his relief at their decision show on his face. Though Grissom was not his favorite person, he had to admit that the man had built an excellent team on the night shift; a team that would not function the same way without him.

"But we have one demand to make before Sara goes quietly."

"I'll see what I can do."

Grissom looked to Sara, and she began, "We've just had two years of being together nearly 24 hours a day. Switching shifts is going to radically change that. I know that we'll occasionally have some days off together with the scheduling system the way it is, but we both love our work. We'll come in on our day off if we get the call."

"So, what are you asking for, exactly?"

"We need one day," Grissom said, "A day set in stone so that we can make plans and know that we won't get called in."

After a call to the Director of the lab, the decision was made. All members of both shifts were informed: on the third Tuesday of every month, Grissom and Sara would each have an uninterrupted day off. The couple would not be called in for anything less than a massacre.

--

**October 2007**

Nick Stokes walked into Michael Mina with his kit in hand. It was a simple case with plenty of witnesses: a couple had gotten into an argument while having dinner and the wife used her steak knife to make her point clear. Unfortunately, it had been more than just a flesh wound and the husband had needed to be rushed to the emergency room. In order for the city to have a solid attempted murder case against the victim's future ex-wife, evidence needed to be collected and statements taken.

The only downside to working the case was the fact that he hadn't eaten since after his previous shift. Though the sushi (not just _any_ sushi, but the kind with golden caviar and smoked salmon) had been delicious, it hadn't been able to keep him full. The last thing he needed was a crime scene surrounded by the finest food the Bellagio had to offer.

The police officer at the scene greeted him at the tape and led him to where the violence had occurred. In record time, Nick photographed the table, bagged and tagged the steak knife, and took the wife's fingerprints. All that was left to do was to speak to the restaurant's other guests and record witness statements.

Nick was finishing up his notes from the sixth couple he had heard and moving on to the next when he heard a familiar voice.

"Didn't I train you to always scan the crowd _before_ you start documenting?"

He looked up, startled to see the grinning face of his supervisor. In a sport coat. Smelling faintly of...cologne?

"Even the rookie cop recognized us less than two minutes after he got here," said another familiar voice behind Grissom. He watched as Sara stepped into view, wearing a black dress and more jewelry than he had ever seen on her.

So _this_ was what they did on their special day off.

Nick had no idea what to say to the couple, so he decided to just work the case. "So um, did you notice anything?"

"I saw nothing," Grissom replied, shaking his head.

"From where I was sitting I had a view of the couple. I noticed that they were having a heated discussion about something, but I never saw her stab him. Thank goodness." Sara shivered a little, and Nick watched as Grissom immediately put his coat around her shoulders, rubbing her arms in a comforting manner.

"So neither of you crack investigators saw a thing?" Nick joked.

Grissom sighed, "We have very little time together, Nick. I tend to have a very narrow focus when we are."

"Yeah, I understand. Hey, do you guys want to get out of here? I'm sure I can get you two released so you can go home."

"We're okay, Nick," Sara said, "We had um...already booked a room upstairs."

"Oh." An awkward pause began. "Well, why don't I send someone to go get you something to eat?"

Grissom smiled, "It's already covered, too. We had pretty much finished our dinner, but that young cop offered to take our orders for the Starbucks around the corner. He should be here any minute."

"Okay, then. I'm sorry about your night, guys."

Sara simply shrugged and said, "It's Vegas."

--

After his final witness statement, the scene was finally released and Nick took his much-needed lunch break. He pulled out his phone while eating and made three phone calls, each beginning with the same phrase:

_You'll never guess what I just saw..._


End file.
